After a two year absence following the undoubted success they had back in 2011, Knebworth’s Sonisphere Festival has finally returned, once again hosting a stellar line-up across its three days, including metal giants Iron Maiden and Metallica, and dance/rock hybrid pioneers The Prodigy. We made sure we were a part of it, so we headed down to see if Sonisphere is truly back for good.

Back again for its ninth consecutive year, the UK’s number one place of worship for all things super hardcore or brutish metal Ghostfest is back with two stages of zero clashes, getting rid of the third stage they introduced for last year’s event. Still, the two date plan remains, each with secret headliners announced just a couple of weeks before its kick off, and with 40 bands in total, it looks like the weekend of welcomed punishment will be as strong as ever.

Metal and hardcore weekender Ghostfest have confirmed the names of 13 more bands for its 2014 line-up. The festival takes place June 28th-29th, and you can check out the full line-up so far plus the new additions below:

Returning rock weekender Sonisphere Festival, set to take place July 4th-6th at Knebworth Park, has announced the names of yet more acts for its upcoming 2014 event. You can see the new names and an updated poster below:

Holding a pretty steady bill already, a third batch of acts have been confirmed to play at this year’s Camden Rocks Festival, with The Subways, Baby Godzilla, Rat Attack, Palm Reader and more becoming the festival’s latest additions. You can find all newly confirmed bands listed below:

Following its return to the UK after a 10 year hiatus last November, it was clear from the response that Vans Warped Tour on British shores deserved to stay. So, come 2013, Vans Warped Tour is back once again at London’s Alexandra Palace. This time packing a weekend full of brilliant bands from across the globe, including stage headliners such as Enter Shikari, Rise Against and Parkway Drive, we just had to get involved with the final major UK music festival of the year.

With a year that has seen them support the likes of Heights and Hatebreed, a set at Download Festival and an appearance at Vans Warped Tour in London later this month, Northern heavy hitters Black Dogs are certainly a band on the up. Now, with their debut album ‘Grief’ ready to hit our ears, we spoke with the band to get a deeper look into what they’re so bloody angry about on the record, and why you should be angry about it too.

Northerners Black Dogs have finally released their highly anticipated debut album upon us. ‘Grief’ is a sub-30 minute record, but it’s enough to send you into fits of terrified hysteria. Clearly influenced by the bleakness of the northern echelons of the UK, Black Dogs play hardcore a la early Architects and Your Demise.

Heights have announced Black Dogs and The Catharsis as support for their upcoming UK headline tour in September/October 2013. Check out the poster and dates for the ‘Old Lies For Young Lives’ tour below.